


falling downhill

by heyvelrisa



Category: Just Roll With It (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Tickle Fights, br’aaxi - Freeform, kinda got inspired by the lion king for this one?, stupid gay oblivious idiots in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24801697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyvelrisa/pseuds/heyvelrisa
Summary: Taxi is feeling a little out of it. Luckily, Br’aad has the perfect solution.
Relationships: Br’aad Vengolor/Taxi the Tabaxi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	falling downhill

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone!! this is my first time posting on ao3 so please bear with me sjjdngnd i don’t know what i’m doing :’) anyways here’s a quick br’aaxi fic!! feedback on this guy would be greatly appreciated because i really don’t know what i’m doing. 
> 
> warning— just a bit of graphic language
> 
> feel free to follow me on twitter @heyvelrisa, on instagram @mabelcanart, or on tiktok @heyvelrisa for more content!
> 
> hope you enjoy!!!

Taxi loved a lot of things.

He loved sunsets because they reminded him of what he’d once had with Oriana. Now that he was mostly at peace with their growing apart, he was finally able to look back at what they’d once had and smile. Oriana had always adored sunsets. He would sit back with her on quiet nights and stare at the vibrant colors that painted the sky, basking in the warmth of her body next to his. He still appreciated the sunsets. 

He loved his party. Of course, there were times where he wanted to leave them all behind; as lovely as they were, they could be overbearing. Still, for the most part, he adored each and every one of them. Sylnan was one of the most down-to-earth people he’d ever met. Mountain, as stubborn as he was, truly cared for the rest of them, deep down, and could give excellent advice if the situation called for it. Velrisa was the smart one of the group, the one who looked after all of them and kept them safe. And then there was Br’aad. 

Taxi loved Br’aad. 

The half-elf was truly something else. Taxi had always been entranced by him. He had a reckless confidence that Taxi was almost jealous of, and he was almost always in a good mood. Taxi didn’t know how he did it. 

Not to mention the fact that Br’aad was the most beautiful person he’d ever met.

Maybe it was the brightness of his eyes, or the sound of his laugh, or the way his nose crinkled up when he smiled because of how wide his grins were. Maybe it was the way his tattoos curled around his body, their new gold color more of a personal touch than a sign of Ob’nockshai’s dark grip on his life. Maybe it was the confidence that Taxi wished he had. Maybe it was the way he could calm Taxi down in any situation. 

Like right now. 

Today had been one of the most stressful days Taxi had had to endure; his near-death experience from a few weeks ago still left him shaken up, and the whole party seemed to have breezed over it by now. He had royally fucked up in combat, almost costing the lives of the entire party, and now Velrisa was exhausted from healing all of their wounds. On top of that, he was having trouble reaching his diety when he needed her the most, and it felt like the world was caving in on him. 

He had been sitting at the fire Mountain had crafted, stewing in his emotions, his tail flicking agitatedly as he turned his worries over in his head. He was jostled out of his thoughts when Br’aad set a gentle hand on his shoulder. His heart jumped weakly. 

“Are you okay?” Br’aad asked, his voice surprisingly soft. His eyebrows were furrowed, and Taxi felt terrible for making him worry, but he shrugged weakly. 

“I’ve been better,” he mumbled, and Br’aad frowned. He held Taxi’s gaze for a moment, searching his eyes, and then turned to the rest of the party. 

“Hey, Taxi and I are going to go for a walk,” Br’aad announced, grabbing Taxi’s paw and standing up. Taxi startled a little at the feeling, begrudgingly standing alongside Br’aad as the rest of the party made soft noises of acknowledgement. Taxi let Br’aad tug him along, away from the soft glow of the fire and into the forest surrounding them. He numbly realized that the sun was beginning to set, and though it didn’t lift his spirits enough for it to exactly be noticeable, it left his chest feeling a little lighter. 

He focused on the warm feeling of Br’aad’s hand in his as he led him through the trees. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere where you don’t have to be with the rest of them.” Br’aad glanced back at Taxi, then turned back to face the direction that were walking. “I know these past few days have been rough on you, bud.” 

“They mean well.” Taxi wasn’t sure if even he believed it. 

“And that right there is why we’re here.” Br’aad broke through a patch of trees, revealing a small clearing of grass. “It doesn’t matter what their intentions are. You sound sad, and I don’t like it.” Br’aad stopped in the middle of the clearing and turned so he could pout at Taxi, and his heart fluttered in his chest. His weakness. 

“Well, what are you gonna do about it?” Taxi challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. A mischievous smirk etched itself onto Br’aad’s face, and Taxi felt a shiver go down his spine. “I don’t like that look.”

“No need to worry, Saxi.” Br’aad stepped closer, and Taxi expected him to stop a foot or so away, but he kept moving forward until their noses were almost touching. Taxi’s breath caught in his throat and, for a crazy moment, he thought Br’aad was going to kiss him. Things had been so complicated between them lately. There was an unspoken closeness that was growing between them, and Taxi couldn’t tell if it was Br’aad’s charismatic personality or if there were some unspoken feelings brewing between the two of them. Both were very viable options. 

All he knew was that Br’aad was very close to his face right now. He stared unblinking into Br’aad’s eyes for what felt like hours, trying to decipher the look on his face. 

And then Br’aad shot his arms out to tickle him. 

To say that Taxi was surprised was an understatement. He let out a shriek and tried to lean away from Br’aad’s reach. Unfortunately, Br’aad’s tickles were a touch that Taxi was all too familiar with. By now, he had learned all of Taxi’s most sensitive areas, the ones that made him laugh the hardest. He was targeting them now, a wicked grin on his face as he watched Taxi try (and fail) to tickle him in retaliation. He was left with no choice other than to move backwards and try to escape his grip. 

His laughter was replaced with a sharp gasp when he felt his foot slip on something loose and wet. He teetered dangerously on the edge of a hill, his eyes widening as he felt his feet give out from under him. Before he fell, he grabbed Br’aad’s arms and yanked him as hard as he could. He overestimated the amount of force he needed, though, so Br’aad collapsed toward him, and down the hill they went. 

The air filled with their shrieks of laughter as they rolled down the hill in each other’s arms, the world spinning around them. Taxi’s heart was beating so hard he was afraid it would pump right out of his rib cage. 

They finally rolled to a stop at the bottom of the hill, just along the bank of a lake. Taxi was propped up on his arms above Br’aad, who had his back to the ground, the sound of his laughter still ringing through the air. He tried his best to commit the view to memory: Br’aad sitting below him, head thrown back with his arms strewn above his head, his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth pulled into a tight grin as he giggled. The golden glow of the sunset filtering through the trees put a hazy blanket over them. The sight left Taxi feeling even more breathless than he had been before. He reached down to brush a stray strand of hair out of Br’aad’s eyes. The action had become muscle memory at this point. Stupid Br’aad and his stupid soft hair that got into his stupid beautiful eyes all the time. 

The feeling of Taxi’s touch on his face sobered Br’aad up, and he looked up at him from under his eyelashes as Taxi slowly pushed his hair out of his eyes. Br’aad reached up to cup Taxi’s face in return, gently scratching at the fur there, and Taxi could feel himself leaning into his touch, his eyes falling shut. Could anything about this be considered platonic at this point?

“Hey, Saxi,” Br’aad whispered, and Taxi lazily opened his eyes to look down at him. The urge to kiss him had never been so overwhelming. 

Maybe he would.

Taxi could feel himself slowly leaning down to where Br’aad was, and he didn’t miss the way that Br’aad glances down at his lips, his eyelids going heavy for a moment. He looked back up to meet his eyes, and Taxi felt his own fluttering shut. 

And then there was the feeling of weight being shifted, and Taxi was falling to the side. 

For a moment, it was almost fine. It wasn’t ideal, considering the fact that he hadn’t gotten his kiss, but he was fine. 

But Br’aad was trying to straddle Taxi the way he had been doing it, and instead of getting his leg over his hip, he kicked Taxi in the side with so much force that it sent him rolling into the lake. 

It still could have been a lot worse. He was only a couple of inches into the water— Br’aad hadn’t been that powerful— and Taxi couldn’t swim, so any deeper probably would have been bad news for him. But his back was soaking wet now, and Taxi absolutely hated water. 

He sat up and scrambled toward the bank, trying to get out of the murky water and back to where Br’aad was profusely apologizing. 

“I swear I didn’t mean to do that!” Br’aad was saying, panic in his voice. “I was just trying to get on top, and—“

Br’aad stopped talking when Taxi suddenly burst out laughing. He couldn’t help himself. “Gods above, Br’aad, you’re a dork.”

Br’aad gave him an uncertain smile, one that became more concrete as Taxi continued to laugh. “Come here,” Taxi said, opening his arms for a hug. Br’aad uncertainly stepped forward, making his way into Taxi’s arms and resting his hands awkwardly on Taxi’s went back. “You’re fine,” Taxi reassured him, tracing his paw up and down Br’aad’s back. He felt Br’aad relax under his touch, and he smirked a little, poising his hands above Br’aad’s waist, a place where he was especially ticklish. 

Payback was a bitch, wasn’t it?


End file.
